Untangling words from work: Teacher residents take up Rural Educational Justice in era of polycrisis

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 1:45 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Navigating Tension and Transformation: Preparing Teachers for Justice in a Divided World

Abstract

This paper explores three case studies of teacher residents who made meaning of and applied concepts of rural educational justice within the current climate of rural schools. Drawing on reflections, presentations, and curriculum artifacts, we examine how residents internalized and externalized justice-focused pedagogies in contexts often marked by shifting sociopolitical pressures. Through qualitative analysis, we identify how these residents’ developing beliefs about equity and advocacy emerge in their instructional choices and reflection. By focusing on exemplars from our residency program and highlighting both the reflective and applied dimensions of teacher learning, findings offer insights into how teacher residency programs can support educators in advancing social justice in rural educational settings and make rural educational justice possible in the current climate.

Authors

• Christy Howard, East Carolina University

• Angela Novak, East Carolina University

• Jennifer L. Gallagher, East Carolina University